Ryno Benjamin will not feature at the George Sevens because of disciplinary reasons.

Shaun Venter will take Benjamin’s place for the second leg of the IRB Sevens Series. The Blitzboks need to pick up points at this tournament if they’re to keep their hopes of a title defence alive. However, without their star attacking player, the task will be significantly tougher.

‘Ryno breached our team protocol and I had to make a difficult call. We are a closely knitted family and our team culture is very important to us,’ said coach Paul Treu. ‘It was not an easy call to make, especially so close to the tournament, but rules are rules and the healthy state of the team is more important than any individual.

‘I am very satisfied with the team’s preparations and the players are looking forward to playing in front of their home supporters.’